Lexus Malaysia recently invited members of the media to test their latest pride, the NX before it was launched. We attended the said test drive, and here’s what we have to say.
For the first test, we got into a Lexus NX 300 Hybrid, but with a twist. The said test car had it front windscreen completely blacked out, and we were told to navigate around a course by using just the Panoramic View feature. The Panoramic View feature utilizes cameras all around the car and projects a bird eye view of the car on the centre console.
The first half of the test involves driving and navigating through some rather tight spots. But our fears were quickly dispersed, as it was not hard to drive around the tight course by just relying on the Panoramic View feature. No, we do not encourage drivers to rely 100% on it, but as a safety feature, it is good to be able to see round blind spots.
After that, we were told to reverse park the Lexus NX, also relying on just the cameras. Here, we got introduced to the Lexus NX’s Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert. While reversing, another Lexus simulated an incoming vehicle that is blocked by our blind spot. True enough, the car beeped when the incoming vehicle approached.
Next up, we were told to get behind the wheel of a regular Lexus NX, for a test of comfort. The test stretch was laid out with planks on the road, simulating speed breakers. Through this stretch, the Lexus NX’s steering remained free of any vibrations. Great for comfort driving, less so for those seeking road feedback. The second half of the test involved a car creeping up on our left, again coming in to our blind spot. The Blind Spot Monitor again worked as intended, flashing an orange indicator from the side mirror.
The last test was an advanced slalom, and we were behind the wheel of a Lexus NX 200t F SPORT. The F SPORT model has Adaptive Variable Suspension and performance rods as standard. To exploit the Adaptive Variable Suspension, the Lexus NX 200t F SPORT comes with a Sport Plus mode, on top of ECO, Normal and Sport mode the other models carry.
With Sport Plus model engaged, the Lexus NX behaves much more sportier than before. Steering response and throttle response gets sharpened, which makes driving this huge SUV a tad bit more exciting. The Lexus NX may be quick off the line, but even with its Adaptive Variable Suspension and performance rods, there’s no hiding the fact that it weighs in at 1.8 tonnes, and body-roll is imminent. Turn-in is quick and precise, with the Bridgestone Dueler H/L tires gripping pretty well. If pushed in too hard, the Lexus NX will understeer, but it is quickly remedied by easing off the throttle.
All-in-all, the NX is a promising premium compact SUV from Lexus. It does also face very stiff competition from the likes of the Audi Q3, Volvo XC60, Range Rover Evoque and the BMW X3. But unlike most of its competitors, the Lexus NX has proven Japanese reliability, with added attention to detail. You can check out the launch article here.
Lexus NX test drive photo gallery
